After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: One Carat

“Buy a ring?”

“Yes, I want to buy a ring for Professor Shen,” Ming Shu said seriously.

Shen Junlan was stunned. For a long while, she didn’t know what her emotions were. Old Liu, who was driving in front, also glanced back curiously, but only for a second, then smiled and turned his head back.

Old Liu had also witnessed, along with Jiajia, the transformation of his wife’s attitude towards Professor Shen. Initially, when Jiajia kept asking, his wife still didn’t like Professor Shen, but just now, his wife actually said she wanted to buy Professor Shen a ring.

Old Liu felt that Professor Shen had finally seen the sun after the rain, but it was a pity that both Professor Shen and his wife were unfortunate people. To be together peacefully, the path was full of difficulties and thorns.

As someone who had received kindness from Professor Shen and her daughter, Old Liu naturally hoped that Professor Shen could find happiness. However, he had no power or influence, no right to speak, and it was enough that he didn’t cause trouble for Professor Shen and his wife. He couldn’t help much, so he could only secretly wish Professor Shen and his wife well in his heart, and sacrifice a bit of his own good fortune to secretly curse Mr. Shen and the Qiao family mother and daughter to be punished sooner.

Shen Junlan took a long time to recover. She tightly held Ming Shu’s hand and asked uncertainly, “Wife, did you just say you want to buy me a ring?”

“Yes.” Ming Shu nodded solemnly, then said a little sheepishly, “I don’t have much money left on me, so I can’t buy a particularly good one. I might have to make do, Professor Shen.”

“It’s not making do. I like it very much.”

“We haven’t reached the store yet.”

“I like anything my wife gives me.”

Ming Shu shyly pursed her lips, shook her head at Professor Shen, and then pointed to the front seat, indicating that Old Liu was still in the car.

Shen Junlan didn’t mind at all and lowered her voice, saying, “Old Liu is one of us. I don’t have any reservations.”

“Professor Shen only has reservations at school?”

“I don’t have reservations, but I am most authentic only in front of my wife, even my… desires are exposed.”

Ming Shu’s face flushed. “Don’t say any more, or I’ll change my mind.”

Shen Junlan immediately shut up, smiling and making a zipping motion over her lips. Only then did Ming Shu breathe a sigh of relief. The one with reservations wasn’t Professor Shen, it was her. She was actually quite afraid of others seeing Professor Shen’s naughty side when she was with her.

The car stopped outside the mall. Shen Junlan and Ming Shu got out together. Shen Junlan used her hand to gesture and ask, “Wife, can I speak now?”

Ming Shu found it a little funny and nodded with a smile. The nervousness about entering the crowded mall had dissipated somewhat.

Shen Junlan didn’t specifically mention Ming Shu’s social anxiety, only asking, “Wife, can I hold your hand?”

Ming Shu actively took her hand. Shen Junlan felt a thin layer of cold sweat already seeping into Ming Shu’s palm.

“Wife, what style of ring do you like?” Shen Junlan asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about buying a ring before.”

“Then why suddenly…” Shen Junlan paused. “Is it because Jiajia said something to you?”

“Jiajia enlightened me,” Ming Shu said, lowering her head. Her eyes caught the sight of men’s trousers and women’s skirts passing by her below.

“Enlightened you about what?”

“Jiajia reminded me not to compromise, and not to give up easily even when there are difficulties. I think Jiajia is right, so I want to buy Professor Shen a ring, and actively take on a little more responsibility. It seems like Professor Shen has been the one contributing more in our marriage.”

“Although my financial capability is not as good as Professor Shen’s, I still want to give Professor Shen the best I can.”

“Wife, you are so good.”

“It’s because Professor Shen was good to me first, and was so patient, persisting for such a long time, that I could finally have the courage.”

The jewelry store in the mall was on the first floor. Ming Shu mustered her courage and led Professor Shen inside, holding her hand.

“Welcome. What do the two of you need? Our store currently has a special offer, with discounts up to 31% off on some items. Would you like me to introduce some to you?”

“Rings… are there any discounts?” Ming Shu asked.

“Yes, there are discounts on the three golds currently.”

“Thank you, but we are only looking at rings today,” Shen Junlan said with a smile.

“Okay, there are also discounts on gold rings,” the sales assistant still said with a bright smile.

“Are you two looking for a matching set or a single ring?”

“I just want to buy one for my wife,” Ming Shu said quietly, her voice slightly trembling.

The sales assistant paused for a moment. She had assumed that the more elegant and composed woman would be the one paying in this same-sex couple.

“That’s right, my wife is buying it for me. No need for introductions. We’ll look around ourselves first, and call you if we need anything,” Shen Junlan said, sensing Ming Shu’s discomfort, and found a way to politely dismiss the sales assistant.

“Okay.” The sales assistant returned to the counter, no longer disturbing them up close, only watching from a distance.

Ming Shu finally let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, she hadn’t been so nervous when looking at rings abroad. She seemed to be more afraid of people from her own country. Ming Shu thought perhaps it was because the harm she had suffered had all happened domestically.

“Wife, what do you think of this one?” Shen Junlan’s fair and slender finger gently tapped on the glass counter. Following her movement, Ming Shu saw the simple silver ring inside, priced at $1299.

Ming Shu shook her head. She felt that Professor Shen deserved something much better.

“How about this one?”

The one Shen Junlan pointed to this time was only a few hundred dollars more expensive than the last one, less than two thousand. Ming Shu still shook her head. Ming Shu bent down, carefully looking at the rings in the glass case, and kept moving towards the higher-priced area nearby. She set her eyes on a 1-carat diamond ring.

“Does Professor Shen like this one? I can only afford a one-carat one right now,” Ming Shu said a bit embarrassed. “Professor Shen will have to make do for now. I’ll save up money and exchange it for a bigger one for Professor Shen later.”

Shen Junlan smiled. “This is not making do at all. I am very happy and satisfied that my wife is buying me a diamond ring.”

“Really?” Ming Shu found it hard to believe that Professor Shen, given her family background and financial status, would think this way.

“Yes, in my eyes, a ring is just a formality. My wife is the most precious thing. Even if someone offered me the most expensive diamond ring in the world, I wouldn’t want it. I only want the ring my wife gives me, even if it’s just woven from grass.”

Ming Shu was dumbfounded by Professor Shen’s words. Her social anxiety symptoms even disappeared.

“Professor Shen, you are… too much of a ‘love brain’.”

“Hmm, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

Yu Yue had called her a ‘love brain’ before, but Shen Junlan didn’t care. She felt that cherishing the person she loved wholeheartedly was a kind of happiness. Besides, she had very good taste.

“Girls with ‘love brain’ are easily scammed out of money and affection. Professor Shen, you shouldn’t be too much of a ‘love brain’,” Ming Shu sincerely advised. “Lingyu was… well, anyway, it’s better if Professor Shen isn’t like that.”

Shen Junlan smiled and shook her head. “If my wife were to deceive me, I’d be willing to be deceived for a lifetime.”

Ming Shu: “I’m not deceiving you, Professor Shen.”

“I know, so it’s okay for me to be a ‘love brain’. You won’t harm me.”

Ming Shu was completely speechless. Professor Shen truly was a professor, with clear logical thinking. Even a ‘love brain’ didn’t pose much risk to her. She really wouldn’t harm Professor Shen.

The two continued to look at rings. Shen Junlan went back to choosing among the 1-carat diamond rings and picked a unique design with a bit of a matte finish.

Ming Shu noticed that Professor Shen’s gaze was fixed on this one. She mustered her courage, raised her hand to call the sales assistant, and asked her to open the glass counter and take out the ring for Professor Shen to try on.

“Miss, you are so good to your beloved, willing to buy a diamond ring.” The sales assistant smiled and took out the ring. She had thought this lady who was going to pay was a bit hesitant, assuming it would be difficult, but she didn’t expect her to be willing to purchase a diamond ring. Although it was only one carat, it was still more than many people could afford.

Ming Shu personally helped Professor Shen put on the ring. It was slightly too big. They tried two more, but none were the right fit.

The sales assistant, fearing the loss of this order, eagerly suggested, “We can take the measurements now and expedite the production. If you two would like, we can also add some small design features.”

“Oh, and there’s a discount. After the discount, this ring is $49,888. You can pay a deposit first,” the sales assistant said. “You only need to pay a $5,000 deposit first, and the rest can be paid in full when you pick up the ring, or you can take out a loan. Our store offers loans with low interest.”

“Okay.” Ming Shu didn’t think much of it and readily pulled out her phone, preparing to pay the deposit.

Shen Junlan, however, hesitated for a moment.

“Wait a moment,” Shen Junlan said to the sales assistant, and then pulled Ming Shu aside. “Wife, is it too expensive?” Shen Junlan suddenly remembered that Ming Shu didn’t have much money left. The $500,000 left after paying off her father’s loan had been used for Wenxuan’s studies abroad. Ming Shu had just graduated and worked for one year, and her salary was mostly handed over to her family before she broke ties with them, so she basically had no savings. Ming Shu probably couldn’t come up with $50,000 right now, and she didn’t want Ming Shu to take out a loan just to buy her a ring.

She didn’t want Ming Shu to become restricted because of her.

Ming Shu knew what Professor Shen was worried about and whispered, “Don’t worry, Professor Shen, I have money. The negotiator said we successfully closed an important project this time, and my bonus is $50,000! I might even get promoted, but I’m only good at translating and not so great in other aspects, so the chance of promotion is probably low.”

“Wife, you’re amazing!”

“But, are you not keeping any for yourself?”

“I still kept a little. I’ll get paid again at the end of the month, and I’ll have over $7,000 then, which I can save up.” Ming Shu’s eyes were shining as she said this, revealing the composure and slight pride that came from being able to control her own life.

A deep wave of emotion surged in Shen Junlan’s heart.

All this time, she had persisted in “guiding” Ming Shu, freeing Ming Shu from her chains, and protecting Ming Shu. But she wasn’t the only one putting in effort. Ming Shu was also working very hard to gather her courage and respond to her.

Look how brave Ming Shu was now, so brave that she could hardly believe it.

She had thought Ming Shu would be melted by her ardent love, but she hadn’t expected Ming Shu to be able to muster the courage and firmly choose her even when the “ice age” came.

“I’ve also saved a lot of money for our life together, wife. Can I give it all to you?”

Ming Shu shook her head. “I won’t manage the money for now. I’ll help Professor Shen manage it when I can earn a lot of money myself and have financial management experience.”

“That’s not what I meant, wife.”

Ming Shu looked at Professor Shen in confusion.

“I wanted to express my loyalty and sincerity. I love you, wife.”

“Don’t say things like that here.” Ming Shu had noticed several sales assistants moving closer, pretending to listen in inadvertently, and her face flushed again.

“Okay,” Shen Junlan agreed with a smile.

Ming Shu walked over, signed the order, paid the deposit, and quickly pulled Professor Shen out.

They ran far before stopping. They stopped in the center of the large square outside the mall. Night was falling, the sky was dark, and the moment they stopped, the night-glowing fountain in the center of the square shot out blue water columns.

Ming Shu was slightly startled.

“It’s a fountain, wife.” Shen Junlan held Ming Shu in her arms and stroked her back to comfort her.

The little rabbit was panting in her arms, and Shen Junlan felt immensely satisfied.

Suddenly, Shen Junlan’s phone rang. Shen Junlan glanced at the phone and immediately turned it off.

A few seconds later, Ming Shu’s phone rang too. It was an unknown number. Ming Shu was about to answer it but was stopped by Professor Shen.

“Wife, don’t answer.”

“Why?”

“I have a bad feeling,” Shen Junlan said, frowning. Her sixth sense was usually very accurate. Her temple had twitched twice just now, and bad things usually happened when that occurred.

“Wife, do you usually answer unknown numbers?”

“Yes.”

This time it was Shen Junlan’s turn to be confused. Ming Shu gave her a smile and explained, “Once, when I was walking on the street, my phone was snatched by a man on a motorcycle. I mustered the courage to borrow a passerby’s phone to report the crime, and also called Lingyu. Lingyu answered. Later, Lingyu came to pick me up by taxi. If Lingyu hadn’t answered my phone call at that time, I really don’t know what I would have done. I was very far from the school at the time. I couldn’t very well call the police officers to drive me back to school.”

“So, my wife answers unknown numbers after that?”

“Yes, except for particularly outrageous international calls and numbers that the phone’s smart identification marks as sales or scams.”

As soon as Ming Shu finished speaking, her phone rang again. This time she answered the call, thinking that someone who would call a second time must be an acquaintance.

“Hello, may I speak to Miss Yan Mingshu?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“Who I am is not important. What’s important is that I want to discuss a business deal with Miss Yan.”

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